The SRU law which imposes a minimum of social housing will be perpetuated beyond 2025

"The obligation to have 25% of social housing will not stop in 2025, it will become permanent. Some municipalities said to themselves that it would be enough to wait a few years to reduce ambition ... From now on, they will not be able to The longer they play for time, they will have to continue their efforts until they reach the goal, ”Ms. Wargon said.

The minister added that this measure would be "included in the 4D bill (on decentralization, editor's note) which will be presented in May to the Council of Ministers".

Since 2000, the law relating to urban solidarity and renewal (SRU) requires municipalities with more than 3.500 inhabitants (1.500 in Ile-de-France) to have 2025% of social housing by 20, a rate raised at 25% in 2014, except for municipalities which justify a specific local situation.

According to Ms. Wargon, in the future, "it will be possible to modulate slightly, upwards or downwards, the pace of construction", but in the event of non-compliance with the commitments "the sanctions will be more automatic and more dissuasive" with "floor penalties" which will be "increased in the event of a repeat offense".

As for the lack of social diversity, denounced recently in a report from the Court of Auditors, Ms. Wargon indicates that "tomorrow (...) the prefects will be able to take back control of the attributions if the quotas are not respected".

Asked about the desire of the ecologist Yannick Jadot to raise the objective to 30% of social housing, she considered that it was a "political policy", pointing to a problem of "consistency within EELV: during that Yannick Jadot is proposing that, the majority of green mayors elected last year, in Bordeaux for example, are in the process of refusing all building permits, including social housing ".

As for the construction of social housing, she indicated that an agreement would be signed next week to provide 250.000 housing units in two years, after a year 2020 with a number of social housing projects "much lower than the needs, with less than 90.000 approved housing ", due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Regarding the decline in personal housing assistance (APL), Ms. Wargon recognizes that "the reform may have resulted in a decrease for the 130.000 young people on professionalization contracts". This situation will, according to her, be corrected with "a reduction on their income, equivalent to the minimum wage" which "will allow them to be treated as apprentices".

The Senate launches a consultation of mayors on its website

Article 55 of the Urban Solidarity and Renewal Law (SRU) of 13 December 2000 imposes the obligation for certain municipalities to have a minimum rate of 20 or 25% of social housing, according to criteria defined by the Code of construction and housing (CCH). This law, adopted 20 years ago, will expire in 2025. The Government wishes to both extend and reform it, which would be one of the purposes of the 4D bill, currently submitted to the Council of State and which could be reviewed next summer.

For Sophie Primas, president of the Economic Affairs Committee, “If the principles on which the SRU law is based are now widely shared: developing affordable housing throughout the territory and promoting social diversity, its overly rigid application is straining and discouraging. We must listen to the mayors to find concrete solutions and if possible consensual ”.

In order to prepare the examination of this future text and to formulate proposals based on field experience, the Senate Economic Affairs Committee has entrusted Dominica with a mission to assess article 55 of the SRU law. Estrosi Sassone, vice-president of the committee, senator from the Alpes-Maritimes and member of the Les Républicains group, and Valérie Létard, vice-president of the Senate, senator from the North and member of the Union Centriste group.

In this context, they decided to question the mayors of the municipalities falling within the scope of article 55 of the SRU law to collect their experiences, better understand their situation and relay their needs and proposals.

“Researchers, the SRU National Commission and the Court of Auditors have published technical reports. But who collected the proposals resulting from the experience of mayors? This is the whole purpose of our approach. The legacy of the past, urban planning constraints or reluctance towards social housing must be taken into account. Often, Parisian decisions give rise to incomprehension, ”emphasizes Dominique Estrosi Sassone.

As Valérie Létard explains, “employee housing and home renovation are essential issues for our country. It is necessary but very demanding for the municipalities. It is important to measure their constraints in order to achieve the set objectives. This is the condition for success ”.

The online consultation is open from March 15, 2021 to April 15, 2021. Mayors can answer the questionnaire by following this link